Demand for perishables to double in four years
02 / 01 / 2013
FRUIT and veg are becoming increasingly tasty components of the air cargo business.
A global surge in demand for premium perishable foodstuffs, including cherries, strawberries and blueberries, as well as fresh salmon and live lobsters – particularly from China – is helping fill freighters and aircraft bellies.
Forwarders and carriers now see ‘high value’ perishables as a prime business, as demand for such premium products increases around the world.
Former Delta Air Lines’ cargo chief Neel Shah, now a director at California-based logistics company Able Freight, expects his revenues from perishables shipments to double over the next four years.
Cathay’s James Woodrow, head of cargo sales and marketing at the Hong Kong-based carrier, agrees that the segment is developing nicely. “Seafood, soft fruits and high-end consumables such as cheeses, meats etc are being driven by the growing middle class across Asia,” he says.
For a fuller report by Ian Putzger, read the next issue of Air Cargo News (14 January 2013)
